From July 2009:

The week after I got back from Iceland I headed up to Sequoia and Kings Canyon to do a four day hike. Stephanie, Bill and I met in Lodgepole to head into the hills and hike the Twin Lakes Loop. Stephanie and Bill were practicing their Ultra Light hiking in preparation for doing the John Muir Trail, me not so much. Lugging my camera equipment as well as my hiking gear was not so easy on the first day at elevation, and as we made our way from Lodgepole to JO pass in the Jennie Lake Wilderness I slowed down through the day, but taking time for a few pictures helped. We rose through the Sequoia and passed through alpine meadows and over many streams, and found the only real problem we had on the hike start to materialize, mosquitoes, lots of mosquitoes. In an attempt to avoid them we camped as high as we could at the top of the pass. This helped a bit. The second day of the hike we descended through the wilderness and turned east to drop into King’s Canyon. The mosquitoes got worse and worse, and we passed our planned campground and headed up into the saddle near Ball Dome to get away. The campsite we found was not too bad, but when we headed down to the stream to pump water we headed into a thick cloud of the insects. A litre of blood later we retreated to our campsite. On our third day out I packed up and headed out a little early to hike up to our high point of the hike, Silliman Pass. This was the most beautiful day of the hike. The trail rose from the start and I began to see views of King’s Canyon through the breaks in the trees. Before the base of the pass I took a couple of side trips to Ranger Lake and Beville Lake. After taking some pictures there I headed up the steep part of the trail to the pass. A couple of days at elevation and a slightly lighter pack from the food I had eaten made this hike much easier then the first day had been. Eventually I reached the pass, a saddle between Twin Peaks and Mt Silliman. I set up my tent and relaxed as I waited for Stephanie and Bill. They arrived soon enough and, after kicking back for a little while, we set off toward Mt Silliman, exploring the ridge. At 10200 feet we had passed from the land of the Sequoia into the land of the Bristlecone pine, and the twisted shapes posed, lovely, over the vista of peaks, domes and lakes that spread below us in every direction. After reaching the end of easily hiked ridge, before we could reach Mt. Silliman, we turned back. We decided to melt snow instead of heading down to find water to pump. This turned into more of a production then we expected, but after a couple of hours our supplies were replenished. As the sun headed for the horizon I headed up the other side of the saddle to the twin peaks to watch it set. It was a spectacular way to greet the night. Our final day we headed down past the twin lakes to Lodgepole dodging mosquitoes as we went. Everything was feeling easier on this day as I was just coming into my hiking legs and had started to acclimatize to the elevation. Unfortunately that was it for us on this trip. We cleaned up and jumped in the cars to head down to the Kern River where we met with Dennis, Susan and Chris for a day of canyoneering in the 7 teacups. Unfortunately my water proof case for the camera had not yet arrived so I didn’t bring a camera on this adventure, but needless to say it was wonderful as well.

Sequoia and King’s Canyon July 2009

Work hard, play hard seems to be the Text 100 motto and after a very busy year in the Sydney office we’ve reward ourselves and visited some very cool locations. Long walks through the Australian desert, skiing the slopes of New Zealand and sipping sake in Japan, this is a team that knows how to unwind. Over the next two weeks the Sydney Text 100 team will share their holiday tips from 2009.

My big holiday for the year was an eleven day trip to the Northern Territory. We started at Ayers Rock where we spent two days walking around the rock and checking out the other local attraction, The Olgas, also known as KataTjuta. The scenery and weather here were amazing, It would get to around 30 degrees C during the day but at night the temperature would drop to about 6 degrees C.  We then drove about four hours through the very flat and dry Australian desert to Kings Canyon where we went bushwalking and completed a four and a half hour walk around the rim of the canyon which was just spectacular.

There are opportunities to do little offshoots of the walk to head up to lookouts and little oasis’ such ‘the Garden of Eden’. one minute you can be in a tropical rainforest and the next your walking along a cliff with the sun beating down and plants struggle to grow through the cracks in the rock. One of the highlights of Kings Canyon was an amazing five course meal under the stars called Sounds of Firelight. The meals included many native herbs and spices, kangaroo filled pancake with wattle seed aioli and bush tomato consommé with lobster wonton. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

From Kings Canyon we drove four hours up to Alice Springs  where I met some of the locals and then took the train to Katherine for the day where we went canoeing. I was told not to worry about the big saltwater crocodiles, “just keep an eye out for the little freshwater ones” needless to say I nearly panicked when we nearly capsized the canoe.

We then continued on the train to Darwin where we spent several days. We checking out Litchfield National Park and although we went swimming in the water holes, I must admit to not feeling entirely relaxed while in the water.  The local markets were great with lots of local produce and art, we also checked out some amazing sunsets and the jumping crocodiles on the Adelaide river. You can see all the photos from my trip on Flickr.

Kings Canyon Roaring River Falls

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 180) presents easy access to some of the wildest and most spectacular terrain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Gushing waterfalls, lush meadows and a road clinging to the side of a rock face make this a one of a kind drive.

Enjoy the grand vistas directly from the road, visit waterfalls via short 2-minute trails, go hiking at the end of the road or take a quick hike along Zumwalt Meadows. Some picnic grounds nearby the road are excellent places to rest, fill up and spend a moment to relax. Whatever you do, take your time and enjoy the narrow winding road at a leisurely pace to maximize your enjoyment.

How to get there

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway 180 Map

Take Highway 180 from Fresno into the park and turn left at the Sequoia intersection, it’s hard to miss.

Most tourists will “only” drive this Scenic Byway when visiting Kings Canyon National Park. Do not make the same mistake and take the time to visit one of the nearby locations (section below). The park deserves much more attention than it gets from most visitors, who tire of big trees after rushing through the important sights in Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon’s sister. The beautiful hikes and mountain vistas of Kings Canyon are worth your time.

GPS position

N36 47.428 W118 40.212

How to photograph Kings Canyon Scenic Byway CA-180

Afternoon at the Kings River

The road is narrow and winding with very few pullouts. The road itself, clinging to the rocks, is a great photography subject. Only pullout if there is enough room and be prepared to stop for other drivers who are not as careful as they should be. A small stonewall protects you from going over the cliff, but the drop-off into the canyon is very steep and the wall may ultimately prove too low. Be careful and pay attention; I know how easily such landscapes can distract photographers.

Once in the canyon, the road winds along the Kings River. You will have many chances to pull out. Take advantage of it and climb down to the water. Using a tripod and slowing down your exposure, take some photographs of the cascades. The blue of the water contrasts favorably with the light of the afternoon sun on the surrounding mountains and the green of the trees at the river.

The High Dynamic Range that you face in this situation calls for the generation of an HDR image, one more reason to bring a tripod, which allows you to capture several exposures that stack well. Alternatively, you could meter off a sunlit area in the background and boost the shadows with fill light. You could even overexpose the bright areas slightly if you shoot RAW, since most cameras allow you to restore some of the highlights. This is not possible when you shoot JPG images, since the transformation to JPG will clip overexposed areas. How much you can recover depends on your camera.

Zumwalt Meadow

Once at Roaring River Falls, I got into position and just as I got ready to fire away, some person in a wetsuit jumped in to swim laps. At first, I was quite annoyed that he couldn’t wait a minute as he walked past me seeing what I did, but then I remembered that most passersby have no idea how wide my wide-angle lens really is. The problem was simply that he kept moving, which did not look good on the long exposure I used to blur the falls. Eventually the swimmer decided to do right by me and unknowingly became a part of my composition as he rested on a ledge. I quickly swapped lenses and used him as a scale for my waterfall shot. In the end I walked away happy that he was there. I did not get my wide-angle composition of the waterfall plunging into the turquoise-green pool, but instead I got an even more interesting and intimate picture.

I didn’t find Zumwalt Meadows or Grizzly Falls very photogenic during my late summer visit, but I can imagine that the snow melt and wildflowers that spring brings will change this significantly.

Kings Canyon Valley Vista

After climbing out of the valley at dusk, I stopped the car one last time to photograph the soft landscape after sunset. The high peaks of the Sierra Nevada that separate Owens Valley from the park imposingly loom over the valley, inspiring awe and the desire to conquer them at one point. For now I am going to be content photographing them with my long lens.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Mid afternoon to sunset is best. Keep in mind that direct sunlight will be gone about one hour prior to sunset due to the surrounding mountains. Any time of the year that the road is open will be good, but summers can be hot, since Cedar Grove lies at lower elevations. You probably cannot get here in winter and spring, due to pass closures.

I suspect that spring and fall will add a lot of color near the Kings River as the wildflowers are blooming or the fall adds color to the surrounding trees .

Time required

Four to five hours should be sufficient to photograph the sights along the byway.

Equipment

• Tripod
• Cable release
• Split ND filter
• Warming filter
• Wide-angle lens
• Medium lens
• Long lens (only if you plan to hike where you may encounter wildlife)
• Picnic (lock in a bear safe container when you go on a longer hike)
• Water
• Bug spray

Fees

The entrance fee to Kings Canyon National Park is $20, which also includes Sequoia National Park. It is valid for 7 days. The Interagency Park Pass will get you in too.

Close Locations

• Kings Canyon Mist Falls Trail
• Kings Canyon Grant Grove
• Buck Rock Fire Lookout
• Redwood Mountain Grove
• Hume Lake
• Sequoia Giant Forest
• Sequoia Lodgepole Area and Tokopah Falls hike
• Sequioa National Park Crystal Cave

Useful Resources

Kings Canyon National Park Page

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Redwood Mountain Grove Trail

Photograph the largest Sequoia grove in the world.

Only a few people visit the largest grove of giant sequoias in the world, despite its location in Kings Canyon, one of California’s most visited National Parks. The park service does not promote its location as it does nearby Grant Grove. The entrance is easy to miss and the unpaved dirt trail leading down the steep canyon road does not look inviting. No wonder most people drive past this grove, not even acknowledging its existence.

This is bear country. The warning signs at the grove parking lot and the behavioral advice for bear encounters discourage potential visitors to embark on extended hikes in the magnificent grove. Upon our arrival during a late afternoon the last visitors were about to leave, leaving us to fend for ourselves and our screams to echo from the trees unheard. Consequently, we chose a short hike instead of an extensive loop.

Even on the short hike, I was delighted with the photographic options and captured some nice images.

How to get there

Redwood Mountain Grove Map

The entrance to Redwood Mountain Grove lies 3.6 miles south of the intersection of Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (CA-180) and Generals Highway (CA-198) on CA-198. Across the street, you will see a large parking area (Quail Flat) with roads leading towards Hume Lake and Buck Rock.

Take the dirt road leading down into the canyon for about 2 miles to a parking area. In dry weather, the road is easily passable with normal passenger cars. The drive is spectacular, leading past several large sequoias.

GPS position

N36 42.448 W118 55.255

How to photograph Kings Canyon Redwood Mountain Grove

Giant Sequoia

The contrast between the dark foreground of the forest and the bright sky is too much for your camera to handle, especially during bright, sunny days. You could simply bracket your exposures and use software such as Photomatix to combine them into a single High Dynamic Range photograph. The photograph above is an example of this technique. It is very difficult, although not impossible, to align photographs that you shoot handheld. Use aperture priority mode for all your bracketed exposures to ensure equal sharpness throughout the image for all shots. The long exposures required for the overexposed photograph will demand the use of a tripod, which will also solve your alignment problem.

Although it is tempting to try to include the entire tree in your photographs, much stronger images result if you only hint at the size of a tree. The picture of the trail at the top of the article and the picture of the three trunks are examples of this technique. The simplicity of the subject makes these images more pleasing and less confusing.

Three Sequoia Trunks

Look for even lighting conditions. Sunshine penetrating the forest canopy will create bright patches that distract from the main subject. Our attention automatically goes toward brighter areas in images. Similarly, you can use spot lighting to highlight an interesting subject that will seemingly jump out of your frame.

The even lighting conditions do not require HDR handling and make the post-processing a snap.

Mossy Trees

I took the photograph above with a normal lens to bring the background closer thus creating a feeling of an even denser forest. The more you step back the farther you have to zoom into the picture and the closer the background will appear. This is a great technique to use in this forest, but you need to ensure that your images show more than randomly clustered leaves. The strong vertical lines in the image above and the clear split right down the middle help to make this image work.

Take a detour to Redwood Cabin, a naturally hollowed out tree made into a cabin. The remains of the cabin can be seen from one of the trails.

Bear Warning (click to enlarge)

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The dense forest canopy will keep the light out for most parts of the day. Optimum shooting conditions exist from about 90 minutes after sunrise to 90 minutes before sunset. Darkness falls sooner in the canyon full of trees, so plan ahead before you leave on a long trail.

Time required

Spend between 30 minutes to 5 hours or more at the grove. You can hike as far as you wish or stay just 30 minutes to take in the sight of some magnificent trees.

Equipment

• Tripod
• Cable release or remote control
• Flash
• Wide-angle lens
• Normal zoom lens
• GPS

Fees

The entrance fee for Kings Canyon National Park is $20. This also includes Sequoia National Park and is valid for 7 days. If you plan to see other parks too, get the interagency pass for $80. It will get you into all National Parks, National Recreational Areas and National Monuments.

Close Locations

• Buck Rock Fire Lookout
• Kings Canyon Grant Grove
• Kings Canyon Scenic Byway
• Kings Canyon Mist Falls Trail
• Hume Lake
• Sequoia Giant Forest
• Sequoia Lodgepole Area and Tokopah Falls hike
• Sequioa National Park Crystal Cave

Useful Resources

Redwood Mountain Grove (Book Search Result)

Kings Canyon National Park Site

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Buck Rock Fire Lookout

Discover a secret place in between two of the most visited National Parks in California.

In my capacity as Photo Scout, I get to take many detours. Not many are as rewarding as Buck Rock Fire Lookout. Sitting on top of an unbelievably steep granite spire, Buck Rock is as vertiginous as it is beautiful.

Only a very limited number of people will make it to this beautiful place, despite its location in Sequoia National Forest, right between Sequoia and Kings Canyon Parks. With so little traffic and such high scenic value, Buck Rock Lookout was a pure delight to photograph. The hike up the stairs is easy, despite the high altitude of 8500 feet (almost 2600m). The view from the top is magnificent and the friendly fire lookout is always willing to explain the workings of the lookout and point out interesting places to visit. Visit Buck Rock when you are in the area and looking for something special!

The only down side was a number of people in camouflage who apparently take joy in killing innocent animals for pure joy, probably mistaking Buck Rock for a good place to spot bucks. As we found out upon leaving Kings Canyon, the hunting season had just started and an invasion of hunters had just begun. There seems to be something incredibly manly about shooting Bambi from a hidden position in the distance.

How to get there

Buck Rock Roads

Driving north on the Generals Highway between Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, take the paved road toward Horse Camp on your right, shortly after the Lodge.

Follow it until you see the Buck Rock dirt road turnoff at GPS location N36 43.013 W118 50.941. Take the dirt road until you reach the parking lot. Then follow the signs to Buck Rock. At the end of your visit, you can either turn back or stay on the dirt road, which will get you to another paved road at GPS location N36 45.071 W118 50.904. Turn left (west) and follow the road until you get back to the Generals Highway at Quail Flat.

Buck Rock Map (click to enlarge)

The unpaved section of the road is sandy and a bit bumpy at times. I have seen people with passenger sedans at the parking lot. If you drive carefully you should be able to make it, but a high clearance vehicle is definitely a plus. You can download the trail log for the entire loop to Buck Rock Fire Lookout.

GPS position

N36 44.235 W118 51.642

How to photograph Buck Rock Fire Lookout

Another Perspective

Buck Rock is visible from certain parts of the dirt road and even from the paved road leading to Quail Flat. Keep your passenger scouting the area or drive slowly and occasionally check around. I took this picture from the paved Quail Flat road with a telephoto lens. I almost missed it if it was not for my attentive partner.

From the lookout parking lot, we spotted the radio facility and headed there first. There is not much to see here except another view of Buck Rock itself. The view of the surrounding mountain ranges is better from the fire lookout.

Once you are at the lookout, take some time to walk around and explore the views in each direction. I shot a couple of photographs with my telephoto lens. Hume Lake in the distance makes a good subject on a clear day and the mountains in the distance will look better in late afternoon with some more clouds to add color and drama.

View from Buck Rock

Buck Rock Ascend

On a clear day, you could take a few wide-angle photographs instead, including the lookout in the foreground. Those give a sense of space and let the viewer participate in the visit to the lookout. Shoot through the windows of the lookout with the landscape reflecting in them to tell a complete story, but make sure to ask the staff, who live here, if they mind. Consider this place the home of the guard who staffs the lookout 5 days in a row until the next person takes over.

Walking up the stairs, I found many excellent compositions including the stairs and the house or just the stairs. One of these is from the bottom of the last flight of stairs. Use the stairs to lead towards the house on top. Crouch down to get a different perspective and to include more of the stairs in the foreground.

Another excellent composition uses the rocks and the stairs to frame the forest and mountains in the background.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

The lookout is open to the public between 9:30am and 6pm. It is only staffed during the fire season and probably closed from late fall to spring.

Time required

Between 90 minutes to 2 hours is sufficient for the loop from Generals Highway and back including the climb and time for photography.

Equipment

• You will need focal length from wide-angle to telephoto
• Circular Polarizer
• GPS

Fees

Although technically not in a national park, you have to pass through either Kings Canyon from the north or Sequoia from the south. The entrance fee for both parks together is $20. If you plan to see other parks as well, consider buying the park pass for $80 that will get you into all National Parks, National Recreational Areas and National Monuments. They usually accept credit card payment.

Maybe you can argue your way around the entrance fee if you only want to get to Buck Rock, since it is not Park Territory.

Close Locations

• Redwood Mountain Grove
• Kings Canyon Grant Grove
• Kings Canyon Scenic Byway
• Kings Canyon Mist Falls Trail
• Hume Lake
• Sequoia Giant Forest
• Sequoia Lodgepole Area and Tokopah Falls hike
• Sequioa National Park Crystal Cave

Useful Resources

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (get latest road information)

Buck Rock Foundation (seems outdated)

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Partis de Melbourne par 10-12 degrés vendredi matin, nous arrivons à Alice Springs par 32 degrés à 12h00… Choc thermique qui nous mènera à près de 37 degrés en fin d’après-midi lorsque nous ferons un petit tour dans le désert park pour en apprendre un peu plus sur le désert australien.

Si la ville d’Alice Springs nous a déçu, nous passons un excellent moment, le soir, à un concert de didgeridoo donné par un grand blond originaire de Sydney et qui a passé les 26 dernières années auprès des aborigènes à apprendre leur langue et leur culture… Quant aux aborigènes que nous croisons à Alice Springs… difficile d’imaginer les membres de la culture du Dreamtime parmi ceux-ci…

Le lendemain, départ sur la piste pour rejoindre en 4×4 Kings Canyon. Plus de 300 km de route dont 200 ne sont pas goudronnés. Nous avons été prévenus, il a plu deux jours avant et la piste est un peu “rough”! Effectivement, l’impression de rouler sur de la tôle ondulée domine les premières minutes… mais lorsqu’on roule entre 90 et 100 km on ne sent presque plus rien… C’est un peu comme conduire sur une route enneigée et j’ai beaucoup moins de peine qu’avec un bateau…

Nous arrivons enfin à Kings Canyon, par 39 degrés et notre ballade au pied des falaises rouges sera bref… Au retour, un saut dans la piscine du resort est bienvenu! Enfin, le soir, les enfants choisissent la pizza devant la télé pendant que nous profitons d’une soirée “couple” magique avec au programme un souper à la lumière de torches sous le ciel étoilé du désert…

>> notre première rencontre avec l’outback australien en images

I headed east, and uphill, to the Sierras, which in my opinion, are at its best after Labor Day, as the weather stays stable, the crowds disappear, and the colors start to change on the trees.

The first part of the journey was a slog up the I-80 to Truckee, semi-scenic, and well, the weather didn’t quite cooperate, with rain showers most of the way. I don’t like driving the 80, so the highlight was perhaps the hamburger and pie at Ikeda’s in Auburn. I did turn off before Donner Pass and took the old route past Donner Lake, then south into good old South Lake Tahoe via Emerald Bay. This is a funny, but endearing town, mostly sprawl along the 50, full of cheap motels, average dining, and it’s hard to even get to the lake shore. But I lived there for a few months one winter.

Ikeda's, now and forever.

I met my friends Anthony and Karen for coffee the next morning, under clear skies, and caught up on things. Hadn’t seen them in a couple years, but it left me pining for the calm relaxed pace of life in Tahoe, with all the outdoor stuff nearby.

Donner Summit, the old U.S. 40

Lake Tahoe from Kingsbury Grade

I made my slow way to Mammoth Lakes, via the Walker River Canyon, Bridgeport, and Mono Lake. Mono Lake is one bizarre but beautiful body of water, with the shores covered in this alkali chalk-like substance, a strong sulfur smell, and millions of flies swarming at the shore. It’s extraordinary!

Mono County Courthouse, Bridgeport

Mono Lake

The shore of Mono Lake, a white crust and spongy mud

So most of this part of the trip was about hiking, and unlike last year, which was a rainout, I got in plenty of awesome scenery and lots of walking. Here we go:

McLeod Lake, around Mammoth- the trail is short and sweet, just over half a mile each way, so a nice little walk to start my morning. I just about froze camping the night before, and somehow the Thermarest doesn’t make for a comfortable night sleeping. The start of the trail at Horseshoe Lake is perhaps the most interesting section, with elevated CO2 levels leading to an area of grayish, dead trees. Despite having a beach, it’s not advisable to be low to the ground, where the CO2 concentration is nearly 90 %. It’s a reminder of the volcanic origins of the area, in fact Mammoth Lakes sits in the middle of the ancient Long Valley Caldera.

Dead trees, Horseshoe Lake

Pine Lake- I drove south towards Bishop, and turned west on the Pine Creek Canyon Road. This starts in Round Valley, a pretty area of orchards and rangeland, then goes up the very narrow Pine Creek Canyon before reaching a dead end at the pack station and the tungsten mine. Then it was a 4.5 mile hike that climbed steeply out of the canyon, and towards the lake. This is pretty scenic throughout, with nifty striated granite features on the walls of the canyon, and looking eastward, a spectacular view of the canyon and the White Mountains. A nice huffer and puffer to get me back in shape and used to the altitude.

Convict Lake and Mt. Morrison

Pine Creek Canyon and the White Mountains

Tyee Lakes- Hiked this the next day, the trailhead was a short drive up the 168 from Bishop. I was looking for solitude, I definitely got it, since I didn’t run into anybody on the trail. I’d say that it was not as scenic as Pine Lake, but the last lake was in a pretty gorgeous setting, with a small beach to chill out at. And there was some color change in the canyon, with some trees already yellow. 3.8 miles to the last lake.

Tyee Lakes basin

Grüezi aus Zurich, California

Kearsarge Pass and Lakes- I camped just uphill from Independence, got the most spectacular star display, and got an early start on this hike. Also, the temperatures were warm, making it a refreshing and comfortable 60 F at the top of the pass. It’s long, 5.8 miles to the pass, and another mile downhill to the lakes. The trail is very well-graded, but the scenery is outstanding all the way, especially as you finally approach the narrow pass. As I was already pretty tired, the steep hike back up to the pass from the lakes was brutal, and the last two miles felt too long, as you see the parking lot, the cars, and the road and somehow never quite get there! At the end of the day, it was a well-deserved dinner at the improbably located, very French Still Life Cafe in Independence, and a real bed in a motel.

Early to bed, early to rise, camping near Independence

Big Pothole Lake and Onion Valley from Kearsarge Pass

Entering Kings Canyon National Park, Bullfrog Lake

Kearsarge Lakes, pinnacles, and the Great Western Divide

And that was it, 3 days of hiking in a row, 33 miles, around 8000 vertical feet, and fabulous scenery. I think it’s the minimalism of the high Sierra that’s so captivating, just granite, lakes, and deep blue skies. But as a final note, I also visited Manzanar War Relocation Center, now Manzanar National Historic Site, which commemorates one of America’s less magnificent historical episodes. Indeed, beautiful places have their ugly sides.

It was time to head back to L.A., but I always have a hard time pulling myself away from such a nice part of the world. But a few meetings and some work-related stuff brought me back there earlier than I would have wanted to.

Manzanar and Mt. Williamson

Cemetery, Manzanar

I’ve been up most of the side roads off of the 395 leading towards the Sierra crest, and have been up many of the passes. But as always, there’s plenty more to explore, and I shall be back!

Sequoias of North Grove Loop with Hiker

Kings Canyon lures visitors with the largest living beings on the planet in pristine wilderness. Many trails in the park are mostly empty, despite the crowds rushing through Kings Canyon every day. Most tourists simply do not plan enough time to see the vast Sequoia and Kings Canyon Double Park, hurrying from sight to sight as the park map tells them. Fortunately, some of the best sights are not marked, leaving them empty and ready for your exploration.

One of these nearly empty places, North Grove Loop, hides next to the most-visited place in the park, General Grant Grove. No obvious signs lead here and most people are too busy following the map to pay attention. Kings Canyon is ready to reveal its secrets to you if you are willing to invest some time.

How to get there

Road Map

Conveniently located near Highway 180, Grant Grove is a primary destination for visitors to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Enter the park from Highway 180, turn left at the intersection and follow the signs to Kings Canyon. The turnoff to General Grant Grove, on the left, is about 1.7 miles after the intersection, shortly after the Grant Grove Visitor Center.

Grant Grove Topo Map (click to enlarge)

Access the North Grove Loop trail from the General Grant Grove parking lot. Drive to the second parking lot a little further downhill, passed the bus parking. The trail starts at the bottom end.

The road to Panoramic Point starts across the main street (Highway 180 Kings Canyon Scenic Byway). Near the lodge, the road leads straight through a gate. The countless roads here can be a bit confusing. Don’t let the gate distract you.

GPS position

N36 44.661 W118 57.880

How to photograph Kings Canyon Grant Grove

General Grant Tree

The well-maintained walk around General Grant Grove is one of the most popular in the entire park. It is short, easily accessible and promises views of some famous trees. Crowds usually fill the short loop. The main attraction of the loop is obviously General Grant tree (vertical image), the best-known giant sequoia and the third largest tree by volume in the world. It is hard to comprehend the size of this giant, since the tree is fenced off and no smaller trees grow nearby. The trail leads past several other giants, like Oregon Tree, California Tree, or the Fallen Vermont Log Monarch.

Fallen Monarch is a giant fallen Sequoia tree that is hollow inside. You can walk through the tree, and get a feeling for the immense size of these giants. Photography inside the large tree is difficult due to the large dynamic range. I metered off the outside foliage, used manual exposure, and lit up the inside of the tree with my little pop-out flash. I also told Dani to pose for me again, to give a better sense of scale for the tree. Normally the fence would be sufficient, but I like the human element of my lovely model in my compositions.

Vermont Log Fallen Monarch tunnel tree

Surprisingly the North Grove Loop that starts from the same parking lot is nearly empty. We didn’t meet a soul on the 1.9 mile hike. The trees are just as wonderful, as the picture at the start of this article proofs. Dani was kind enough to stand between the trees, demonstrating their size. The trees you can find along the loop are not fenced in. You can send your model close or get close yourself and photograph up for a unique perspective. The tranquil hike calms you down after facing the crowds at General Grant Loop.

Hume Lake from Panoramic Point

Drive across Highway 180 from Grant Grove to get to Panoramic Point, which offers the best views of Kings Canyon, Hume Lake and the distant peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. From Panoramic Point, you can hike the Park Ridge Trail, eventually leading to a fire lookout with gorgeous views. Although tempting, I recommend visiting the Buck Rock Lookout instead, which offers even better views and which is more photogenic in itself.

Include some of the foreground shrubs in your photographs from Panorama Point to give the viewers a sense of the vast distances of this wilderness. Frame the picture as low as possible if the sky lacks clouds as it did during our visit.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

You can explore Grant Grove whenever the park roads are open. The hikes through the forest are best during the day, as it gets dark quickly underneath the forest canopy. Panoramic Point is best in the morning or for sunset if clouds are present.

Time required

North Loop Trail: 1 hour

General Grant Loop: 30 minutes

Panoramic Point: 30 minutes

Park Ridge Trail: 2-3 hours

Equipment

• Tripod
• Wide-angle lens or fisheye lens
• Medium Zoom
• CP Filter
• Split ND Filter for sunsets (dark canyon, bright sky)

Fees

The entrance fee to Kings Canyon National Park is $20, which also includes Sequoia National Park. It is valid for 7 days. The Interagency Park pass will get you in, too.

Close Locations

• Buck Rock Fire Lookout
• Redwood Mountain Grove
• Kings Canyon Scenic Byway
• Kings Canyon Mist Falls Trail
• Hume Lake
• Sequoia Giant Forest
• Sequoia Lodgepole Area and Tokopah Falls hike
• Sequioa National Park Crystal Cave

Useful Resources

Kings Canyon National Park Page

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The Olgas. Just a short drive or a long walk from Ayers Rock.

The Olgas were first seen by Whitey in 1874 when Ernest Giles stumbled upon them but somehow didn’t see Ayers Rock right next to it.  It turns out that he happened to be standing in such a manner that Ayers Rock was obscured by the Olgas, which he couldn’t reach because Lake Amadeus just happened to be full.  A year later, he was in the same area and spotted Uluru.  Upon hurrying back to Adelaide to report his findings, he was informed that William Gosse had seen it and reported in a few days earlier, naming it Ayers Rock.  Now that’s just bad luck.

Anyway, the Olgas are the same sort of rock as Ayers Rock, but different.  Lying maybe 30km from Ayers Rock as the crow flies, this huge rock outcropping is quite impressive in its own right.  Needless to say, it was almost completely empty.  We walked through one of the canyons and I kept thinking how unbelievable it is that all those people over at Ayers Rock had come all this way and couldn’t be bothered to come check out this other really cool looking wonder of nature.  Bah, more space for us.

After walking around at the Olgas, we left the park and meandered the 300ish kilometers to Kings Canyon* based on the recommendation from the nice Austrian couple that lent us their jack along the Lasseter Highway after we got our fifth flat for the trip.  Kings Canyon is a huge chasm that you can either walk through or around the top of.  The walk was short and easy and rewarded us with a great view from the inside of the canyon.

We congratulated ourselves on going there instead of just trundling back to Alice Springs up the boring road from which we came.

*quick!  Do-gooder long hair hippy feel good types!  What’s the Aboriginal name for Kings Canyon?

Vom Ayers Rock nach Alice Springs!

Nach dem ganzen Spektakel des Sonnenaufgangs am Uluru (Ayers Rock) haben wir uns auf den Weg zu den Olgas, einer kleinen Bergkette ganz in der Nähe vom Uluru, gemacht. Man muß wirklich bedenken, es gibt da unten mehr als nur den Ayers Rock! Wir hatten wirklich eine superschöne Fahrt zurück vom Uluru nach Alice Springs. Nach einem Spaziergang und nem kleinen Frühstück an den Olgas ging es dann weiter zum Watarrka National Park zum Kings Canyon. Es ist wohl eine der spektakulärsten Sehenswürdigkeiten Zentralaustraliens, denn mit seinen 100 m hohen Steilwänden hat man einen Blick wie im Amphitheater. -mk

Gallery: http://gallery.me.com/the_np_bat_man#100972

The Olgas are here.

Kings Canyon is here.

Rapidement dit, voici le programme de notre voyage :

• Départ de Genève jeudi 24 septembre 2009
• Passage par Londres, Hong-Kong et arrivée à Melbourne le 26 septembre
• Après 4 jours à Melbourne et environs, départ pour Griffith pour voir la famille. Petite fête d’accueil prévue… avec environ 60 membres de la famille sur 3 à 4 générations…
• Environ une semaine à Griffith et activités avec plusieurs membres de la famille sur place
• Trois jours à Echuca pour un “revival” du temps des premiers colons sur la Murray River
• Après une nouvelle petite fête familiale… (farewell tea time , départ pour les Blue Mountains et pour Sydney
• Passage par la “Central Coast” au nord de Sydney, pour voir une autre partie de la famille
• Descente vers Melbourne en nous arrêtant de nouveau dans la famille à Wollongong (4 jours de ballade le long de la côte)
• Départ le 23 octobre de Melbourne pour Alice Springs et le désert australien.
• Du 23 au 26 octobre, nous allons tailler la piste entre Kings Canyon et Uluru (Ayers Rock) pour enfin revenir sur Sydney afin d’y passer les derniers jours (déjà) de notre séjour en Australie…
• Le 30 octobre, retour par Hong-Kong et Londre, à nouveau, pour arriver à Genève le 31 octobre… des images et des souvenirs plein la tête…

We just returned from our final hurrah of summer, our summer road trip. It was a really great trip, marked by highs and lows but overall a good time. Here is a brief chronicle….

We departed on Thursday 9/3, immediately after Vivi had her before school “visiting appointment”. This means we were on the road by around 11, which was only slightly behind schedule. Our plan was to stop somewhere in the LA vicinity for lunch and somewhere just shy of Sequoia National Park to spend the night.

We ended up stopping in Buena Park for lunch, at an odd local “fast food” eaterie that had a varied menu, everything from burgers to noodle bowls to burritos.  Then we hit the road again. On our way through the Grapevine north of LA we stopped at Agua Vista visitor center to learn more about water in California. We learned that we don’t have enough. It was a diverting little stop and a chance to stretch our legs. We then powered through, and made only a brief stop at a scenic river just before we hit Three Rivers, the town right before the National Park. We drove around a bit looking for a hotel, but settled on the Comfort Inn, right across the street from the local pizza parlor and the market. We walked to dinner, where we had our first trip low, Fiona refused to eat anything, and then tried (in vain) to get us to give her coins for the vending machines (which sold stickers, bouncy balls, and sticky hands). It had been a long day in the car, and we were getting a little stir crazy and short tempered. After dinner, we headed to the hotel pool, and proceeded to be the loud people in the pool until closing time (which was 9pm). It was hot and a nice night for a swim, it worked out well, and we all went back to the room, got cleaned up and went to bed.

The next day we got up, got packed, ate breakfast in the hotel, and were on the road again. Since we had made it so far the day before, we had a relatively short drive to the park entrance. This time we opted to buy the annual pass that will allow us admission to any National Park for the next year (I forsee more road trips in our future!), then we proceeded to the 1st visitor center.

For those of you unfamiliar with Sequoia National Park, it’s a big, spreadout place. The visitor’s guide lists a 1 hour travel time between most major features, and getting in through the entrance we used meant taking a long and very winding road. I had wanted to take my car for this reason, as the kids tend to get carsick in Gabe’s car, but he over-ruled me, and had a plan. His plan was to drive slowly, with the top down. It worked. It helped that the weather cooperated and it was perfect weather for top down driving, sunny and warm, with a slight breeze.

We picked up Junior Ranger booklets at the visitor center and the girls got right to work. Our first pit stop was “tunnel rock” a gigantic boulder perched over what looked to have once been part of the road. The boulder was scraped in several areas where it was clear a vehicle attempting to drive under it had not quite cleared!

Our next stop was Hospital Rock, which featured some amazing Native American Petroglyphs and Grindstones. Vivi really wanted to test out the grind stones, but we notice rather a lot of poison oak in the area and decided to move on.

As we climbed higher into the mountains we started seeing evergreen trees and even a few sequoias. We next stopped at Ampitheather Point and had a snack while checking out a great view of Moro Rock and the valley below. I pointed out that the tiny specks we saw moving on top of Moro Rock were people.

Finally we entered “Giant Forest” and started seeing the really big trees. Giant Sequoias are the largest trees on the planet, and while they are similar to the California Coastal Redwoods we saw on our earlier trip to Muir Woods, they are not the same. The redwoods are taller, but the sequoias are thicker and have more wood in their trunks, these things are really huge. We didn’t stop, but headed straight to the next visitor’s center for lunch, along the way, we were startled by a small bear suddenly darting out across the road in front of us. It was our first bear sighting, and we hoped not our last. Since we were now in bear country, we had to remove all food items from our car whenever we got out of it.

We ate lunch at the visitor’s center, and saw that they offered an outdoor all-you-can eat BBQ for dinner at one of the nearby meadows so we signed up for that for dinner, checked into our room at the Wuksachi Lodge, unloaded everything from the car, and then we headed out to see some trees!

Our first stop was the General Sherman Tree trail. This is a trail that winds about 1/2 mile down hill to the Sherman Tree, which is the world’s largest tree, not tallest, but largest. It was on this trail that we had our second bear sighting! A mommy bear had climbed a tall tree near the trail and was tossing pine cones down to her cub. We stayed and watched both for a little while before continuing on our way. Later in the trail they have a viewpoint which is paved in the exact size and shape of the foot print of the actual tree. It was huge. I think every person reading this could’ve laid down in that footprint and there would be room for more. Near the base of the tree, Gabe took some family pictures using one of his special lenses that allowed him to get the entire height of the tree as well as the width, but I think the lens elongate things a bit so the tree looks skinnier than it is, you can kind of get an idea of the size of it by comparing the size of us in front of it (and we weren’t that close to the tree).

We finished the trail by hiking down a little ways and waiting for a shuttle to take us back to the parking lot, then it was dinner time, so we headed over to the meadow for the BBQ. The girls were hungry, and declared the food to be the best they ever tasted! It was good, with chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans, corn bread,  potato salad, and apple pie for dessert. It was a nice night for outdoor dining as well and a very scenic spot.

After dinner, we drove around a bit to find a scenic spot for sunset viewing, and settled on Beetle Rock, near the Giant Forest Museum. This park is just full of giant boulders and this was one of them. We climbed out onto it to enjoy the view, but it was hazy (pollution from the bay area and other California cities gets blown in), and the kids were restless, so we left before the sun set to head back to the room for some quiet reading and bedtime.

The next morning, Gabe got up at the crack of dawn to go take sunrise pictures, while the girls and I lazed around in bed. When he got back, we were just about ready to head out for breakfast (a yummy buffet at the lodge). This was to be an action packed day. We had ordered some box lunches from the lodge, and planned some morning hiking and a picnic, following by an afternoon visit to Crystal Cave which involved more hiking.

Unfortunately the kids did not sleep all that well in the sofa bed they shared, and Fiona was tired and grumpy most of the morning. Despite this we still managed to get in a visit to the Giant Forest museum, a 1.6 mile hike to see Tharp’s log, a cabin built into a fire-hollowed fallen tree, a picnic lunch (which did not improve her disposition), and a visit to Moro Rock (although we did not attempt the 1/4 mile climb). Plus we had our 3rd and 4th bear sighting, first along the road to the trail head, and then from the parking lot near the picnic area. It was the same bear both times, a yearling poking around for pine cones. Then we began what was to be a 1 hour drive to the Crystal Cave trailhead. It took us about 30 minutes, but Fiona got a nice car nap in and her disposition improved. She was excited about seeing the Crystal Cave (I think the name may have had something to do with it).

The trail to Crystal Cave is 1/2 mile long, and all downhill, they said it was the equivalent to walking down a 30-story building, followed by a 1/2 mile hike within the cave (mostly flat), and then the same 1/2 mile back up. Our tour was at 3pm, our dinner reservations were at 5pm, and we needed about 45 minutes to drive to the lodge for dinner. The tour was 45 minutes, which left us precious little time for the hike uphill. I was worried, but I get ahead of myself…

The cave was a lovely cave, but we have been in several caves now, and they all are pretty much the same, and Gabe and I are pretty much over caves at this point. It will be a pretty special cave that gets us back in one. Anyway, this cave tour featured the obligatory lights out portion. Unfortunately, they did the lights out more than once, and held it longer than strictly necessary to illustrate the “see how dark it is” point. Fiona is afraid of the dark, and pretty much freaked out, and lost her cool at this part of the tour. She was mostly happy up until that point. Fortunately, that was toward the end, and once we made our way out of the cave, she was happy. Happy, and eager to get back to the car. She was the leader of our march up hill. She rested only once, and I think she resented doing it. She just pushed on, even though I asked her repeatedly if she wanted to rest (don’t you want to rest? please?), and we made it to the top faster than we made it down. And so we made it to our dinner reservations with even a few minutes to stop in our room to freshen up.

After dinner, we went to a ranger led campfire program and learned all about… BEARS! It was an informative program and we got to touch bear fur, a bear skull, and learn the difference between Grizzly Bears (no longer in CA) and Black Bears (of which there are many and mostly none of the CA ones are actually black!). After the program Fiona marched right up to the ranger and stood patiently waiting while she was talking to another child. I asked Fiona if she had a question for the ranger (because I found it very odd for her to be standing there as though she did, and equally odd that she would have a question), she said she did, and when I asked her what the question was (because she likes to say she has a question and then not actually have one) she said “what do bears eat?”, so I said ok, and we waited until she asked the ranger her question and got her answer before we headed back to the room for bed.

The next day we got up and packed up our gear for a move to Kings Canyon National Park (which is administrated jointly with Sequoia). We were going to stay the night in Grant’s Grove, another area of big trees, but since we had the whole day, I thought we might also have time to head over to see the actual Kings Canyon. We did, but we only saw a bit of it. Unfortunately, we’d been having such good luck with the car sickness that we forgot to be careful and took those winding roads down into the canyon a little too fast and Fiona felt sick. So we had to pull over a few times while she tried to feel better. It wasn’t working so we decided to head back to the Grant’s grove area for lunch. We took it slow and by the time we got there she was recovered. We had lunch in the restaurant and noticed immediately the difference in the concessions. Delaware North does the concessions in Sequoia, Kings Canyon does the concessions in Kings Canyon. Delaware North does a great job, and we would love to see them in more National Parks. We’ve also experienced Xanterra (in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley), to mixed reviews, but we find even Xanterra superior to Kings Canyon. It was pretty dismal, but it was the only food in town, so we just went with it.

After lunch we did a little shopping and Fiona got a stuffed skunk, which she had been pining for for days. She carried it with her everywhere after. Then we went over to see the General Grant Tree and take a ranger led tour. We ended up having a private tour, which was pretty cool. The ranger was very knowledgable and we learned a lot about these cool trees. Their bark can be up to 2 ft thick and is fire resistant, they need fire in order to reproduce, their wood has a lot of tannin in it so it is resistant to bugs and even after falling the trees will remain there for hundreds of years without decaying. Small animals take dustbaths in the dirt near these trees because the tannins from the trees help rid them of bugs. We got to walk through a tunnel tree, which had fallen over a hundred years ago and was hollowed by fire. We saw the General Grant tree, which is the 2nd largest tree in the world and the Nation’s Christmas tree (as declared by Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s).

After the hike, we checked into our room at the John Muir Lodge, which was a nice little lodge, recently built, but not as spacious as the Wuksachi. We had some time before dinner, so we decided to go on a little hike, a one mile loop called the Big Stump trail. This trail winds through areas that were logged in the 19th century, and because Sequoia wood does not decay, the stumps from these trees remain. The “big stump” is the stump from the Mark Twain Tree, a 26 ft diameter, 1700 year old tree that was felled in 1890, in part to send a slice of it’s trunk to the New York Natural History Museum (it’s still there). The interpretive plaque indicated that the tree’s sacrifice ultimately inspired more people to want to save these trees.

It turns out Sequoia’s break across the grain when they fall, making them useless for timber, but they still chopped them down, to use as shingles and what not. The neatest thing was a picture that was taken as the tree fell, you could see the entire area had been heavily logged, and then to look at it today and see how the forest is coming back. There were many sequoias in the area, but all were “young”, not more than 120 years old, and so didn’t look much like the old giants. It was really one of the best hikes we went on, and so eerie to walk through the graveyard of trees.

After that hike, we went to dinner, then took a drive up to panoramic point for the sunset. The point faces east, with trees behind in the west, making it a better sunrise spot, but it was still amazingly beautiful to see the wilderness and the high sierras stretched out in front of us as far as we could see. Gabe still managed to take some cool sunset through the trees pictures. Then we went to bed, and I promised Fiona she wouldn’t have to do anymore hiking.

The next day we were up and out, we’d seen everything we wanted to see in the park and we were going to DISNEYLAND! It was a long 5 hours in the car to get there, but it was worth it! We splurged on a room in the Grand Californian Hotel, and oh it was paradise. They had bunkbeds in the room for the girls, a real treat for them as they were tired of sharing a bed, our room overlooked the Downtown Disney area, and the pool… oh the pool. It was great. They had life jackets for the non-swimmers (Fiona), lifeguards, and a small kid water slide and a big kid water slide. After playing with them in the pool for a bit, Gabe and I retired to our lounge chairs to enjoy frosty beverages while the kids worked off some energy. We practically had to drag them out of the pool to go get dinner. After dinner, we went into California Adventure and rode on a few rides before calling it a night. It turned out our room was right over the guy who plays violin every night in Downtown Disney. Vivi loves listening to him so she spent quite a bit of time on the balcony before hopping into bed. But she was fast asleep at 9:25 when the fireworks started going off. They were loud!! But we had a great view. Gabe and I watched them from the balcony, but the kids slept through it (amazing!).

The next day, it was time to pack up for the last time, and check out before heading over to Disneyland. We saw one of Vivi’s classmates getting breakfast, turns out we aren’t the only ones with this idea! Overall the park was pretty uncrowded, although we waited in the longest line EVER for the Winnie-the-pooh ride, it was almost too long to bother with, but it has become our tradition to end our Disneyland days with a ride on Pooh, and visit to the sweet shop next door. So we did.

Then we headed out and hit the road, and our road trip was over. It was a great trip, the long drives were a bit too long, but we made it work, and pool visits at the end helped. Next summer, we’ll have to try something even more ambitious…

Trip photos

Next up, the first day of school!

Phew. This week has been so busy, but SO fun at the same time!

Last week, I got to leave Darwin for a long day in Kakadu National Park. I have to say that Kakadu was prettier (and greener) than I was expecting! The sky was also a beautiful shade of blue. It was very hot and there were lots of flies, but it was definitely a sight to see. We went to the Nourlangie rock art site, where the aboriginal rock art ranged from 20,000 years old to present day (one of them was commissioned by David Attenborough!). It was all very cool. We also did a walk to a lookout and a boat ride through the Yellow Water Billabong and East Alligator river, where we saw TONS of crocs. It was pretty cool to see them in the wild!

[Side note: Darwin can be 40 degrees (c) with 99% humidity during the wet season. Just thought you should know.]

For the past three days, I’ve been on a tour around central Australia. On the first day, we had a very long drive to King’s Canyon, where we did a really nice hike around the rim. It was pretty spectacular, and the hike was great. We also did a nice little walk around part of Uluru, which was very cool!!

The difference in weather that happened between our first and second day was crazy. It went from about 30 degrees (C) to about 10. Thankfully, we managed to stay pretty warm in our swags, but we missed out on the brilliant stars since it was cloudy. SAD. The second night was a bit more uncomfortably cold, though.

On the second day, we drove into the national park, where our first stop was Kata Tjuta– a large formation of 36 dome-shaped rocks. It was a really spectacular place. We took another beautiful hike through the rocks, which was so much fun.

After being in the cloudy weather all day, we were all pretty disappointed that the sunset on Uluru that night was going to be less than spectacular. We drove to the sunset viewing point anyway (which was relatively empty, due to the weather) and started our dinner. Then just as we began eating, it started sprinkling a little bit, but AMAZINGLY, a little while before the sunset, the clouds began to clear RIGHT where the sun would be setting! It was still raining and cloudy over the rock, but that spot was miraculously clear! As a result, we got THE BEST SUNSET EVER. Seriously. The rock turned bright orange, while the sky was a dark purple color, and a GIANT rainbow appeared over it! It was so beautiful and none of us could really believe it as we snapped as many photos as we could take before it all ended.

The next day we got up early to watch the sunrise, which was a bit more of a freakshow as far as the amount of tourists. Nevertheless, it was a very pretty sunrise!  After that, I did the 9.4 km base walk, which was really nice. The rock looks  lot different up close than you might expect based on the iconic sunset/sunrise photos. It’s definitely not as smooth as it looks! There are lots of caves, waterholes, and boulders around the base. Uluru really is an absolutely amazing place. Geologically, it’s pretty crazy. It’s 350 meters tall, but it goes underground for 6 kilometers! Our guide, Dan, was so knowledgeable and told us lots of dreamtime stories about the different features of the rock, which was really interesting! Every distinctive feature has a story about how it got there. Really, really cool.

We ended our trip with a quick camel ride (did you know that they had camels here? Wild ones? Me neither.) and a dinner when we got back to Alice Springs. My group for this tour was just the best, and we all had a lot of fun singing around the fire, hiking, and seeing all these beautiful sites together! I have to say, these were three of the best days of my trip so far!

Trees in Kakadu

Kings Canyon

Hiking through Kata Tjuta

The AMAZING Uluru sunset!

As Denny Gibson climbed the Sierra Nevadas a couple days ago he wondered if he should or could access Kings Canyon Road, a sometimes steep climb between Carson City, Nevada, and Lake Tahoe to the west. Once suburban King Street ends, there are 9 miles of westbound climbing. The total gain is 1,800 feet, but the worst of it is the first two miles. Here’s my view of the eastern start:

An 1860s toll road, it became part of the LH in 1913 (improvements led it to be called called Ostermann’s Grade for LHA’s Henry Ostermann). It was bypassed by US 50  and the old road deteriorated; it was in rough shape when people began rediscovering the LH. It’s obviously been improved in recent years as hikers and bikers take to it. ATVs and jeeps share the road but it’s not recommended for regular-clearance vehicles. This article describes the condition: We couldn’t go too far up the mountain though; the road is no longer maintained, and at one point higher in the mountains, the road has washed away. An old truck lays in the valley below as if it had fallen off the cliff.”

As this article says,   “Almost all freight, clothing, pots, pans, food stuffs and lumber came to Carson City by way of this road. If you wanted to visit family in California or spend a vacation at the Lake, this was how you went.”

Here’s a site that makes KCR look stunning but, they’re on bikes.

http://www.bikecarson.com/2008/06/24/kings-canyon-to-ash-canyon-loop/

This site says “Climbing from 5400ft above Carson City to 7000ft at Spooner Summit, Kings Canyon is no slouch for elevation gain. Most of the gain takes place in the first 3 miles of the climb, so expect to get the worst over quickly.”

The road is hard-packed dirt and rock, with very few sandy spots along the first 3 miles. During this time, the grade is fairly steep, giving the rider a good aerobic workout. After a couple switchbacks, the road contours along the hillside and makes for a small saddle, which marks the end of the steep climb and the beginning of the longer, easier gradient. The road stays pretty much on contour for the next 5 miles, with very minor dips. A few hundred feet below through the pine trees is Highway 50 to Spooner summit, but traffic noise is almost non-existent. Depending on the season, there are a few sandy spots along this section, but nothing serious. The final mile includes a quick steep climb, and then you pop out just above the NDOT highway maintenance station on Spooner. Note: this road is drivable with a 4WD and high clearance, so don’t be surprised if you run across motorcycles, ATVs, and Jeeps.

Finally, here’s a link to a topo map that can be enlarged even more once yo’re there by clicking a magnifier.

Our little adventure to the real Australian outback began with a 5am start, but it is about 500km to Uluru from Alice Springs so takes quite a bit of driving. We were on a ’small group’ tour, just the 14 of us, for the next 3 days and 2 nights, our driver/guide/chef was Steve – a Captain Jack Sparrow and Russel Brand lookalike with many of the same mannerisms. The scene was set for a fantastic trip to the heart of the red centre.

The entire first day was dedicated to the awesome Uluru (aka Ayers Rock). It was a bit of shock when we arrived in the middle of the desert to find rain clouds looming and a bit of a chill in the air! Steve however was more than excited, less than 1% of people get to see Uluru in the rain, especially in the dry season! From a distance Uluru is spectacular, a single piece of sandstone in the middle of the desert, and close up it has many features, caves, cracks and valleys you don’t realise are there.

We went to the cultural centre and learnt a little about the indigenous people of the area and then Steve took us on a bit of a guide walk of some of the base. We obviously didn’t do the Uluru climb, mainly because it is disrespectful, but also because it was closed due to strong winds (it’s actually closed 75% of the time due to unsuitable weather). It was while we were completing some of the base walk that it started raining and then pouring! Steve thought this was the best thing ever and so latter we abandoned the statutory sunset viewing and went waterfall hunting. Uluru with waterfalls running down it… awesome! We were very wet, but ultimately amazed, this is not what we were expecting at all.

The next little bit of fun came when it was time to sleep in our swags (Australian outback camping roll). It was still raining so everyone had to huddle together under the little shelter the campsite had to offer…. apart from me (Dave), I slept under the truck as there was no space left! It was a peaceful night sleep although impossible to roll over due to the driveshaft being a little too close to the ground.

Next day was Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas). These are a small range of domed mountains close to Uluru. We left camp early for a sunrise with a view over the Olgas and Uluru, spectacular. Next up was a 8km hike around the domed sacred site. Although we were told various bits of Aborigine culture and Dreamtime Stories we are not told of too much, since the Aborigine way of life is that you have to earn the right to knowledge and for them to give it away would be wrong. They liken knowledge to money, and it’s not simply handed out.

That night we slept in our swags near Kings Canyon. We had a beautiful desert sunset with clear skies that meant later we could see an abundance of stars from our swags. This camp site was a little more basic, with the shower being open air and the toilet also – this did mean you got a great view of the stars from the dunney!

Kings Canyon and the Garden of Eden was the last stop on our three day tour. We got to Kings Canyon early to try and avoid as much of the scorching heat as possible – today was predicted to be 34C in the shade at it’s highest. The 9km trek took us through most of the canyon area and to the Garden of Eden, which is a small valley where there is a little waterhole and an abundance of flora and fauna all surviving happily in the desert! This trek was one of the best we’ve done and a real experience in the ‘arid zone’. We later had a BBQ lunch before heading back to Alice Springs where we later met up with the group in the evening for a spot of dinner at the touristy pub Bojangles.

Our last day in Alice Springs was spent washing all our dusty clothes and going to a few local highlights. We popped in to the Royal Flying Doctors museum- very informative, and then walked down the Todd River to the Telegraph Station. The Telegraph Station is the main reason for Alice Springs existing; the overland repeater station was built next to what was believed to be a spring (now known as a depression in the river bed). All very interesting, especially as it’s 4km out of town – weird baring in mind it was the first thing to be built in the area.

We’re now on The Ghan and making our way north to Darwin. We’ve just had a ‘whistle stop tour’ of Katherine Gorge and are heading north again. Only 1 week left now in Australia!

Day 98

We flew from Cairns to Uluru (Ayers Rock) this morning. It’s been said in every guide book ever written, but Ayers Rock is insanely expensive. Everything is marked up an incredible amount. We decided the best way to see everything that we wanted to see would be to rent a car and drive around. After we picked up the car, we had time to make it to the Ayers Rock viewing area for sunset. When there is a good sunset, the rock changes colors as the sun goes down:

Day 99

Drove about 3 hours this morning to Kings Canyon, where we did a 3 hour walk around the rim of the canyon. Here are the pictures:

Day 100

Went to the sunrise viewing area and then did the circuit walk of Uluru:

In the afternoon, we drove to the Olgas, another rock formation in the area. It is quite impressive as well. We did a short walk among the rocks:

When we got back to our hotel, we decided to go to the Aussie BBQ restaurant at the resort, since after all, today is the 4th of July! So, although we didn’t have fireworks, at least we got to grill out. We both took the Aussie sampler platter, which was Crocodile skewers, Emu sausages, beef sausages, and chicken, and cooked it all ourselves on a gas grill.

… might also involve going camping for the first time, which is what I did last weekend. Heather, Lauren, Becky and I headed up to Kings Canyon National Park from Friday through Sunday, and came back out through Sequoia National Park. Here are a few random pics.

WE’ve finally got back to civilized world after 3000 km through the desert of Australia!!! What a trip and we loved it!!! Long roads with impressing views and a lot of dead Kangaroos and bothering flies! It was a nice experience!!!
We first to Port Agusta and than headed north to Coober Pedy, the Opal Capital of the World and they live underground because of the extreme living conditions (very hot during the day and very cold at night).
We’ve visited the famous Urulu and took the tipical picture during the sunset!!! Very nice!!! WE also visited the Olgas but our preference goes to the Kings Canyon!!!We had a lovely walk there and amazing views!!!
We have tested also our rental car for some off road!!! It was 100 km for some 4WD driving and driving techniques were required but we made it with a lot of sweating and a lot of nerves
We also visited in the morning a thermal pool in Mataranka between palm trees and because it was chilly the warm water came perfect!!!
We visited also Alice Springs which is the centre of Australia…with a lot of aboriginals.
We have now arrived in Darwin, up north and we are doing some relaxing know because of the driving … (we had a bit of enough after driving 5 times the distance from Barcelona-Madrid in 4 days … Yesterday and before yesterday we spent the whole day in the Lichtfield National Park where we enjoyed natural hot springs and awesome waterfalls! This area is very nice and some great spots…

We also visited a wildlife park because for the moment we haven’t spotted no crocodiles and snakes

Check out the pictures..

Nous avons passé quelques heures au beau milieu de ces énormes Canyons !!! C’est impressionnant car tout est vraiment plat autour.

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Ce fut une vraie randonnée pédestre dans ces Canyons car il n’y avait pas toujours des escaliers comme dans la troisième photo. A certains moment, ce fut très impressionnant. Quand je dis “très” c’est très très très !!!

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Il y avait un énorme vide sous nos pied.

C’était tous simplement génial!!!!!

Thank you to my friend, Bluehorn, for looking after this blog while I’ve been away. Love the expression,”wishy washy.”  How can I not have used it for a while? It seems essential. 

*****

Just back from Central Australia — Alice Springs, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and nights of sleeping on the red dirt of the desert in only a swag and sleeping bag.

While in Alice, I visited the Mbantua Gallery and Museum which is owned by Tim Jennings.  In 2007 he paid the then record-breaking price of $1,000,000 for Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s Earth’s Creation (1994). It’s one from her so-called “high-colourist middle period,” though “middle days” might be more appropriate; she didn’t start painting until she was an old lady of 80 and passed away 6 years and 3,000 paintings later.  The enormous painting is displayed in a poky room surrounded by red dirt and tableaux of camp stools and open Billy Tea packets.  In short, the full cliché.

There’s a video playing in another room which shows Jennings going out on a typical trip to Utopia, the settlement 270 km north-east of Alice where Emily and many of the other famous female artists lived.  He announces at the beginning of the film that it’s designed to show visitors and prospective buyers the relationship with the Aboriginal artists is a respectful one, yet it had, at least for this viewer, the exactly opposite effect.

Jennings is shown distributing the acrylic paints and canvasses from the back of his Landrover, and giving the younger members of the community instructions about what to paint.  The artists line up next to the vehicle and after flicking through the bundle of finished canvasses they give him, he writes each a cheque.  Trying and failing to remember their names, he scurries back to the Landrover and, like a rat with a gold tooth, can hardly get away quick enough.  Back to Alice with his huge booty which he’ll sell at prices marked up by many thousand per cent. 

Images: Earth’s Creation (1994) by Emily Kame Kngwarreye (top); the artist herself (bottom)

Wie der Titel es schon andeutet wurden während dieses Trips Kilometer geschrubbt! Und zwar nicht nur im Auto, sondern auch im Flugzeug und zu Fuß… Wenn ich für das alles Vielflieger-Meilen bekommen würde, dann wäre meine nächste Weltreise schon mal gesichert!!

Angefangen hat alles in Adelaide… nein… warte… angefangen hat alles mit wenig Verständnis für die geografische Lage der Ziele, den Fakt, dass ich mich hier auf der Südhalbkugel befinde und den Jahreszeiten (ja, in Australien gibt’s auch Winter!!)! Das die hier auf der falschen Seite fahren und auch sonst einiges anders herum läuft hätte mich schon auf den ein oder anderen Denkfehler in meiner Reiseplanung hinweisen können…

Irgendwas in Adelaide

Hat’s aber nicht und deshalb ging es während des Winters auf der Südhalbkugel gen Süden. Hört sich für Europäer erstmal gut und nach Wärme an… läuft hier aber wie gesagt etwas anders… Aber egal!

Also… angefangen hat alles mit Adelaide. Warum eigentlich Adelaide? Schöne Stadt?? Viel zu entdecken?? Ehrlich gesagt hatte ich zum Zeitpunkt der Palnung der Reise keine Ahnung von Adelaide… ich wollte unbedingt zum Uluru und Tiger Airways fliegt günstig dort hin und von dort von/nach Adelaide und Melbourne. Warum also nicht beide Städte mal sehen…

Adelaide ist eher ein großes Dorf. Nach 2-3 Stunden im CBD waren alle (eher langweiligen) Sehenswürdigkeiten abgegrast und ich habe mich das erste Mal gefragt, was ich eigentlich die restlichen 3 Tage hier noch machen soll… für Touristen ist Adelaide wirklich stinkelangweilig! Was hat also die Umgebung noch so zu bieten? Relativ viel verglichen zu Adelaide selbst. Mit dem Barrossa Valley ein Weinanbaugebiet mit Weltruf (glaub ich zumindest), aber nach einem halben Jahr Goon bin ich weit davon entfernt sowas überhaupt schätzen zu können… wie sagte Tania einmal so schön: “there are tours for friends of beer to breweries and for wine to wineries… where is the next goonery??”

Dann hätten wir noch die Nationalparks und Strände der Fleurieu Halbinsel und Kangaroo Island zu bieten… ohne Auto kommt man auf der Halbinsel aber nicht aus und nach Kangaroo Island lohnen sich nur Mehr-Tages-Trips. Dafür hatte ich dann doch nicht genug Zeit und teuer sind diese Trips auch noch… und zu guter letzt ist der Winter auch nicht unbedingt die beste Reisezeit dort hin.

Adelaide vom Mt. Lofty Summit

Blieb also nur noch das “Hinterland” um den Mount Lofty und den Cleland Wildlife Park. Das Gute an Adelaide: egal wohin man möchte, wenn es einen Bus dort hin gibt, ist man sehr günstig unterwegs. 2.60$ für eine Art 2-Stunden-Ticket ohne Zonen und Regelementierungen und den ganzen Schmu ist schon in Ordnung. Also ab in den Bus und rauf auf den Mt. Lofty, der eher ein groß geratener Hügel ist Da ich mit meiner Reiseplanung immer verdammt viel Glück habe und alles immer zu 1000% durchdacht ist, war natürlich bei der Aussichtsplattform mit Blick über Adelaide dichtester Nebel  als ich dort ankam… Sichtweiten so um die 20m haben eher zur Einsicht verholfen, dass Aussicht was anderes ist!

Was gibt es also dort sonst noch zu tun? Der Bus war gerade weg und der nächste kommt in knapp 3 Stunden… Wandern!! Klingt gut… Es gibt tausende von Routen, aber nur 2 interessante, die in 2-3 Stunden machbar sind. Eine führt an mehreren Wasserfällen vorbei und die andere zum Cleland Wildlife Park. Als sich die Kreuzung, an der ich mich für einen der beiden Wege entscheiden musste, kam, entschied ich mich spontan für den Wildlife Park.

Koala & ich

Kangaroo & ich

Wie sich herausstellte eine gute Entscheidung. Für 16$ Eintritt und 3$ für einen Futterbeutel bekam ich meine ersten lebendigen Kangaroos nicht nur zu sehen, nein, sie versuchten auch an meinen Beinen hochzuklettern um ans Futter zu kommen. Zum Glück waren die ausgewachsenen Exemplare etwas relaxter, denn die hätten nicht mal klettern müssen. Ich erreichte den Park auch gerade rechtzeitig zur Koala-Fütterung, was mir die Chance gab endlich mal einen Koala von Nahem zu sehen und sogar zu füttern und ein paar Fotos zu machen. Cuddling, also das Halten des Koalas hätte 30$ inklusive einem Foto gekostet. Emus und einige andere Tiere waren in dem Wildlife Park auch noch zu bewundern. Nach ca. 1 1/2 aufregenden Stunden zwischen Koalas und Kangurus machte ich mich dann wieder auf den Rückweg zur Aussichtsplattform. Immerhin wollten ja noch Fotos gemacht und der Bus erwischt werden. Beides war erfolgreich…

Hahndorf - Victoria

Von dort aus ging es dann mit dem Bus nach Hahndorf, der größten deutschen Siedlung in Victoria (oder sogar Australien, keine Ahnung… hab ich schon wieder vergessen). Ist auch nicht wirklich groß und wenn auch nur irgendjemand denkt, dass es so in Deutschland aussieht, na dann Gute Nacht… wir können uns dann in Bayern umbenennen und jeder 2. unserer Shops wäre ein Souvenirladen mit dem schlimmsten Krimskram den Bayern so zu bieten hat und es gäbe in Deutschland nur Leberkäse und Bockwurst mit Currysauce die als Currywurst feilgeboten wird… alles in allem also sehr authentisch…

Also bloß schnell wieder weg zurück ins Hostel… dort gab es dann eine willkommene Abwechslung zum bisher recht langweiligen und tristen Adelaide. Der deutsche Rezeptionist (hallo Steffen!!) überzeugte mich und 3 andere Adelaides Nachtleben zu erkunden. Das ganze endete dann in einem sehr lustigen Abend, definitiv die beste Zeit in Adelaide…

Party in Adelaide

Am letzten Tag ging es dann zum Port Adelaide… wenn wir nicht zufällig einen Delphin im Hafenbecken entdeckt hätten, wäre dieser Ausflug auch völlig ereignislos verlaufen. Port Adelaide ist ein nicht gerade schöner und eher müffelder Industriehafen…

So… ab gings mit dem Flieger ins Outback. Einige Freunde haben die Strecke von Adelaide mit dem Zug in 24h zurueck gelegt und waren auch alle der Meinung, dass es sich lohnt. Mit dem Flugzeug sieht man zwar weniger von der Landschaft zwischendurch, dafuer geht es aber schneller und man kann sich von der fast unendlichen Weite ein phaenomenales Bild von oben machen.  Auch nicht zu verachten.

In Alice Springs angekommen habe ich dann erstmal das Mietauto abgeholt. Zu den Autovermietungen kann man nue sagen, dass man in Alice Springs von fast alles (und garantiert allen groesseren) abgezockt wird. In Alice Springs haben fast alle (alle die ich gefunden habe, aber es soll wohl zumindest eine Ausnahme geben) Autovermietungen auf einmal Kilometerbegrenzungen. Es ist klar, dass man, wenn man den Uluru und Kings Canyon sehen will, mindestens 1200-1500km zurueck legen muss. Da machen Kilometerbegrenzungen von 100km pro Tag also Sinn… nur halt nicht fuer den Mieter. Ist man dann noch unter 25 Jahren alt hat man schon fast verloren.

Nachdem ich also mein Auto, anstelle eines Hyundai Getz ein Toyota Corolla Hatch, bekommen habe, wurde noch auf eine Autoladung Freunde gewartet, die von ihrer Uluru-Tour gerade wieder in Alice Springs ankamen. Viel Zeit blieb nicht, da ich ja noch an diesem Abend am Kings Canyon ankommen wollte und zumindest nicht die ganze Strecke in völliger Dunkelheit fahren wollte. Also kurz getroffen, zusammen noch Vorräte fuer die jeweilige Weiterreise eingekauft und wieder Verabschiedet. Es kam dann noch der gute Tipp, dass ich die Ernest Giles Road zum King”s Canyon nehmen sollte. Verkürzt die Fahrzeit enorm…

Ernest-Giles-Road (good part)

Problem an der Sache: die Ernest Giles Road ist eine unbefestigte Strasse und somit offiziell tabu fuer die meisten Mietwagen. Aber mein Toyota (und vor allem die Uhrzeit) haben gebettelt… also ab rauf auf die Strasse… ausserdem waere es ja kein Outbacktrip, wenn man nicht auch mal nen bissel abseits der Strassen fahren wuerde. Nun gut… knappe 200km sind eventuell mehr als ein bisschen. Wer das Risiko wagt, wird auf alle Faelle belohnt. Das fahren ist schon extrem anspruchsvoll und man muss immer voll konzentriert sein. Auf dieser Strasse gibt es einfach alles: angefangen wird auf einem sehr festem Sand, der fast Asphalt-aehnlich ist. spaeter wird dieser dann wellig, man fuehlt sich also fuer mehrere Kilometer wie in einer verkehrsberuhigten Zone mit  diesen Huckeln alle 20cm! Hallo Stossdaempfer… Was?? Mietauto?? Dann kann ich ja noch auf 70km/h… spaeter wird dieser Sand dann immer weicher, bis man sich fast wie im Buddelkasten fuehlt. Und wem das noch nicht reicht, dem rennen noch Kuehe und Dingos auf die Fahrbahn!! Oder der steigt kurz vor Sonnenuntergang mal aus um noch “schnell” ein paar Fotos von dem Berg “direkt” neben der Strasse zu machen… nach fast 40 Minuten und in fast voelliger Dunkelheit war ich dann wieder im Auto nur um festzustellen, dass es ne bloede Idee war, da gerade auf dieser Strasse Dunkelheit alles andere als optimal ist… und ich noch knapp die Haelfte vor mir hatte. Ging aber alles ganz gut… es waren keine 80km/h mehr drin, was dem Auto aber auch ganz gut getan hat. Dann noch mal 100km auf befestigter Strasse auf dem zwei Pferde gluecklicherweise auf halbem Weg ueber die Strasse kehrt gemacht haben und das Kamel zu sehr mit futtern beschaeftigt war um in Panik auf die Strasse zu laufen angekommen am Kings Canyon wurde im Caravan Park mal schnell Zivilisation genossen… und wurde gleich mal von australischen Teenagern gefragt, ob ich nicht ein Foto mit denen machen will… haben noch nie einen Deutschen gesehen. In ueblicher deutscher Freundlichkeit wurde das mit den Worten “wir sind hier nicht im Zoo” abgelehnt

Die Nacht wurde im Auto etwas abseits der Strasse verbracht, der sternenklare Himmel ein paar Minuten genossen und relativ schnell festgestellt, dass es im Outback in der Nacht ziemlich kalt weden kann. Am naechsten Morgen ging es noch vorm Sonnenaufgang zum Kings Canyon. Das Aufwachen zu dieser unchristlichen Zeit ist bei ca. 5 Grad Aussentemperatur auch gar nicht mal so schwer… auf alle Faelle lohnt es sich zum Sonnenaufgang schon oben auf dem Kings Canyon zu stehen.

Kings Canyon @sunrise

Der Canyon an sich ist sehr beeindruckend. Man kann bis direkt zur Kante der Steilwaende, sieht von Felsen umringte Seen und alles in allem einfach eine wunderbare Landschaft. Der lange Rundgang ueber knapp 6.5km ist unbedingtes Muss!! Die andere Strecke, die nur unten zwischen den beiden Auslaeufern des Canyons langfuehrt ist garantiert nicht vergleichbar. Nach ca. 5h am Canyon und dem ein oder anderen mulmigen Gefuehl, als ich mich fuer ein Foto mal wieder zu nah an den Canyon gewagt habe, ging es, mit Zwischenstopp an einer heiligen Wasserstelle in der Naehe des Canyons auf zum Uluru. Wie wahrscheinlich auf jeder befestigten Strasse im Outback verlief die knapp 500km dahin unspektakulaer.

Im Touristen-Komplex mit jeder Menge Shops, Hotels, Appartments und einem Campingplatz machte ich dann erstmal Halt… TimTams und Gummibaerchen mussten her um das Leben jenseits von Zivilisation und Kommunikation auszuhalten. Dann wurde mal der Campingplatz abgecheckt, aber es war natuerlich wieder geplant im Auto zu schlafen. Also rauf auf den Besucherparkplatz und erstmal eine gute Stelle fuer den Sonnenuntergang suchen. Haette ich zu dem Zeitpunkt gewusst, dass man fuer den Uluru-Kata Tjuta Nationalpark immer einen 3-Tages-Pass kauft, waere ich wohl schon fuer den Sonnenuntergang dorthin gefahren. So habe ich das Spektakel von einem Huegel hinter dem Campingplatz aus beobachtet. Danach wurde sich noch heimlich bei mittlerweile Dunkelheit in die Dusche geschlichen und ausgiebig genossen… danach wurde in der Naehe des Touristen-Komplexes am Rand einer Sandpiste fuer Allradfahrzeuge (ich frag mich immer noch, wie ich mit meinem Auto da hingekommen bin) wieder das Nachtquartier eingerichtet… heisst also Auto geparkt. Kurz nach Mitternacht klopfte es dann freundlich, aber doch bestimmt an meine Autoscheibe… genauso freundlich und bestimmt wurde mir dann klar gemacht, dass ich entweder in 5 Minuten aus dem Gebiet des Nationalparks raus bin oder auf dem Campingplatz. Als weitere Moeglichkeit stand noch eine Strafe von 500$ zur Debatte. Da wurde doch ganz schnell und noch schlaftrunken das Auto weggefahren und nach ein paar Kilometern wieder abseits der Strasse geparkt. Diesmal noch ein bisschen versteckter. Ob ich schon aus dem Gebiet des Nationalparks raus war, kann ich nicht mit Sicherheit sagen. Jedenfalls konnte ich bis ca. 5.30 Uhr schlafen bis mich die diesmal 3 Grad Aussentemperatur wieder aufweckten.

5.3 Uhr morgens aufstehen war dann auch die richtige Zeit um als Zweiter am Eingang des Uluru-Kata Tjuta Nationalparks, noch vor den Rangern, zu warten, bevor es dann endlich in den Park gehen konnte um den Uluru bei Sonnenaufgang zu bestaunen. Das war dann auch schon recht beeindruckend, wenn auch nicht gerade so überwältigend, wie man vielleicht angenommen hätte. Es lohnt sich auf alle Fälle auch einmal zur anderen Seite zu schauen, wo die Sonne dann hinter einer scheinbar endlosen Ebene zwischen ein paar einsamen Bäumen aufgeht. Das ist meiner Meinung nach mindestens genauso schön und man fällt auch sicherlich auf, als einiger der wenigen in der Touristenschar, der auch mal die Augen vom Steinklotz lassen kann. Wenn man Glück hat (wie ich) sieht man auch ein paar seeeehr alternative (respektive bekloppte) die sich an den Straßenrand setzen und wie in Extase mit wippendem Oberkörper den Uluru anbeten und dabei die lustigsten Geräusche machen. Nach dem etwa 45-minütigem Sonnenaufgangsspektakel ging es dann noch einmal um den Berg herum. Einige Tracks laden zum Wandern um oder an den Berg ein. Der für mich interessante Track an den Berg heran war aber gerade gesperrt, ich bin mir nicht mehr 100%ig sicher weswegen, aber ich vermute, dass es kulturelle Rücksichtnahme ist. An einer Stelle gibt es auch die Möglichkeit den Uluru zu besteigen, aber es wird auch hier auf großen Informationstafeln darauf hingewiesen, dass das von den Aboriginals des Stammes Anangu, die den Berg als heilig ansehen, als Respektlosigkeit gegenüber ihrer Kultur angesehen wird. Den nicht ungefährlichen Aufstieg wagen trotzdem viele Touristen. Einen weiteren Point-Of-Interest stellen die Rocks of Sorrow dar. Dies ist eine von den Parkrangern angelegte lose Steinsammlung die durch von Touristen zurückgeschickte Steine entstanden ist. Laut Legende bringt es Unglück Steine des heiligen Berges mitzunehmen und einige von denen, die es trotzdem taten schicken diese nun zurück, da sie sich seit diesem Zeitpunkt tatsächlich vom Unglück verfolgt fühlen. Ich habe von der Besteigung des Ulurus und von der Mitnahme von Steinen mal vorsichtshalber die Finger gelassen und kann nun hoffentlich ein langes und glückliches Leben führen

Uluru

Danach ging es ab zur zweiten Attraktion im Nationalpark, der ja nicht ohne Grund einen Doppelnamen trägt. Bleibt also Kata Tjuta, auch bekannt unter dem Namen “Olgas”. Diese sind ca. 45km vom Uluru entfernt und eine Art Canyon. Wie immer gibt es auch hier Aussichtsplattformen auf dem Weg. Nachdem ich diesen Canyon nun gesehen habe kann ich den Hype um den Uluru nicht mehr ganz nachvollziehen und auch nicht verstehen, warum dieser die bekannteste Attraktion im Outback ist. Wer dort ohne Besteigung oder ohne okkulte Anbetung länger als 2-3 Stunden verbringt muss schon irgendwas entdeckt haben, was noch nie zuvor ein anderer Mensch gesehen hat. Bei den Olgas, genauso wie beim Kings Canyon, kommt man hingegen in eine Gegend, die einfach nur atemberaubend ist… unvorhersehbar & abwechslungsreich… Insgesamt gibt es zwei Wanderwege. Ein kürzerer führt zwsichen zwei Steilwänden entlang, bis man nach einigen hundert Metern an einer grünen Oase ankommt hinter der sich die beiden Steilwände fast schließen. Der interessantere und schönere Track ist aber der “Walk of the Winds”. An einigen Stellen fragt man sich hier wo sich denn die Dinosaurier verstecken, da die das Einzige sind, was zum Jurassic-Park-Feeling noch fehlt.

Kata Tjuta - Walk of the Winds

Anschließend war die Rückfahrt nach Alice Springs angesagt. Auf den gut ausgebauten einspurigen “Highways” geht das auch relativ schnell. Wenn nicht schon auf dem Weg zum Kings Canyon auf der Hinfahrt der Umweg von ca. 4 km von der Ernest-Giles-Road gemacht wurde um sich den Einschlagskrater eines Meteoriten anzusehen, so kann man das jetzt ja auf dem Rückweg noch machen. Dazu muss man natürlich einen etwas größeren Umweg in Kauf nehmen, da man erst ca. 10 km auf der Ernest-Giles-Road in Richtung Kings Canyon fährt um dann rechts abzubiegen und noch mal die 2 km bis zum Parkplatz zu fahren. Dort angekommen merkt man schnell, dass es keine Attraktion mit Weltruf ist. Neben ein paar Bänken gibt es dort nicht viel. Man steht, wie so oft im Outback, mitten im Nirgendwo. Die Krater sind dennoch ein interessanter Ort und Infotafeln erklären den wahrscheinlichen Ablauf des Einschlages und die Auswirkungen auf die Umgebung. Wer die Zeit für diesen Umweg hat, sollte unbedingt mal kurz vorbeischauen.

Mit dem letzten Tropfen Sprit kam ich dann gerade noch so wieder zurück nach Alice Springs. Also: lieber etwas früher tanken und nicht die 0,10$AUS pro Liter sparen und dafür ohne die Panik, die man hat, wenn die Tanknadel schon unter’m letzten Strich ist, ankommen und zu Alice Springs ist noch zu sagen: IMMER vorher ein Hostel-Zimmer buchen! Es ist nicht viel los in diesem Städtchen, aber ausgebucht scheint es trotzdem immer zu sein. Dort im Auto zu schlafen macht auch nicht viel Spaß, da die, sich leider sehr oft komisch verhaltenen, Aborigines nicht gerade so viel Vertrauen erwecken, dass man sich in der Nähe dieser schlafen legen will. Die Nacht wurde also außerhalb von Alice Springs auf halbem Weg zwischen der Stadt und dem Flughafen an einer Kreuzung verbracht und am nächsten Tag ging es dann auch schon wieder zurück nach Melbourne.

Note: Lots of pictures in this post. Sorry about the load time.

(Seriously)

King’s Creek Station is a bit of a tourist spot on the way to Watarrka National Park (King’s Cayon), they have a service station with a diner, helicopter rides, quad bikes and camel rides. All of which were very expensive by Melbourne standard. We went off to see the beautiful King’s Canyon at Watarrka National Park, which was amazing. Unfortunately, due to lack of choices in lunch, we stopped there for quick steak sandwiches.

(steak sandwich with the lot – $12.00)

The beef was a bit of a piece of tough old boot really. At one point when we were talking about camel riding, Mum stopped chewing and asked, ‘Um, what kind of meat is this? It’s not camel, is it?’

The ‘lot’ included fried egg, bacon, cheese, caramelised onion, tomato, lettuce, tomato and barbecue sauces. I’d say it was rather yummy despite the really tough bit of beef. But then again, it was 2pm and we had been hiking through King’s Canyon. We were starving!

And now for some obligatory pictures from the Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Parks:

The Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) at sun set

In chronological order:

Kata Tjuta (the Olgas)

The Uluru (up close)

(Yes, the tiny dots are the people)

King’s Canyon

Don’t have too many pictures from King’s Canyon without people in it:

And then we headed on to the town of Alice Springs. Ah, the Alice.